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Wednesday 4th November 2009: Steve reveals Costa's two new ship names, chosen out of 32,000 entries; and the new Saga ship will have its refit in the UK
Wednesday 4th November 2009
By Steve Read
Fascinating and Fabulous
THE next two ships in the Costa Cruises fleet will be fascinating and fabulous.
Their names, Costa Fascinosa and Costa Favolosa, were chosen from more than 32,000 sent in by
travel agents and regular passengers.
The keel for Costa Favolosa will be laid at the Fincantieri shipyard in Venice tomorrow.
That is when the first “building block” of the ship is laid in place – accurately positioned
to within a millimetre.
Both ships will be 114,500 tons and carry 3,700 passengers. Costa Favolosa is due to sail in
the summer of 2011, followed by Costa Fascinosa almost a year later.
With the Costa Deliziosa – it means “delicious” – launching in February next year the new
ones will make Costa easily Europe’s biggest cruise line with 17 ships, and the world’s third after
Carnival and Royal Caribbean with 22 each.
From the descriptions Costa are sending out, it seems the first of the two will have an
element of Disney about it.
“The Costa Favolosa is intended to be the epitome of ship interior design, interpreting the
excitement and emotion of people who view the cruise as a magical voyage in a ‘contemporary
enchanted castle’,” gushes their announcement.
While “The Costa Fascinosa is designed to express that unique glamour of a cruise ship and
her capacity to evoke strong emotion and passion.”
A British Home for Saga Pearl
SWANSEA’S dry dock is to be refurbished to handle the £20 million refit of Saga’s new ship Saga Pearl II.
It will be the first time in more than a decade that such a major project has been handled at Swansea.
The work will take three months and create 300 jobs – and give the dry dock a better prospect of competing for future business.
The Saga Pearl II refit will be the most comprehensive and expensive in Saga’s history.
The ship – formerly the Astoria – will get balcony cabins, and the show lounge, restaurants, spa and swimming pool will be upgraded.
A new cinema and library will be installed, along with a new sports deck which will include a short tennis court.
The ship’s galleys will also be replaced.
Outside the ship, the hull will be coated with “slippery paint” which will reduce fuel consumption and lower her carbon footprint.
Welsh firm Harris Pye is being used for the main engineering work and Saga plan to place a number of other major contracts with UK based contractors.
Saga executive chairman Andrew Goodsell said: “The multi-million pound refit will ensure that Saga Pearl II is splendid throughout and with 446 passengers she will have an intimate atmosphere and the quality of service our passengers have come to expect.
“I am delighted that we are able to support a British yard, and that in doing so we will help with the regeneration of the Swansea docks.”
The 18,591-ton ship’s first cruise under her new name will sail on March 15. She replaces the Saga Rose, currently on her farewell voyage around the Med.
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